We arranged this one year milestone photo shoot in the nick of time. The little cutie-pie in the photos well he turned 1 last week. I love hearing from parents when they want to schedule a 1 year milestone session as making it through the first year, for both the parents and the babe, is a momentous occasion. It's also a fun time to to shoot because, as the years progress, you can remember where your baby was at (ie was your babe crawling or walking, how many teeth in his sweet grins etc)

It's always wonderful to work with families that treasure their family images as much as I treasure my own. Mama E and I got talking months ago when they were expecting their second beautiful boy and we scheduled a maternity session, a fresh 48 and newborn photos. I've collated some images from all three sessions to share in this blog post

This lovely mama contacted me saying that she was looking to take her family photos in a more candid direction. Naturally, I couldn’t be happier that my work caught her attention. Her kiddos are fabulous ages to let the kids run round and find their own fun. Our backdrop for this session was none other than Top of the World Laguna Beach, which makes a pretty great backdrop for photos any time of the year

Jeffrey Open Space Trail is a natural and classic spot for family photos. It is filled with both natural and man made beauty. The trail stretches 3.5 miles through the heart of Irvine. On the natural side of things, the space is filled with meadows, creek beds, woodsy trails and botanical gardens. On the man made side of things are stone tunnels, metal footbridges and public art displays

I really think that family sessions get more fun the more kids you have. That probably sounds pretty alarming because I’m sure that parents with 3 or more kids get intimidated and exhausted by the idea of a family session. I get it. Life with kids is wonderfully exhausting. But here’s why I thinking it gets more fun with more kids: my style of photography lends itself to being candid and a little bit silly

It all started with a late night message exchange when this mama messaged me indicating that she really wanted to get some photos of her and her gals. She said it had been awhile. Lucky for all of us, I had a last minute opening, so I feel like this lovely threesome was a match made in heaven sent straight my way from the Photo Gods. We met at Alta Laguna Park. I got there a bit early, as I always try and do, and while I was fiddling around with my camera I heard a big gregarious hello and I looked up to see a warm welcome wave from mom and her daughters looking effortlessly fabulous as they cross the car park

As a mom who has a 2018 baby, I have to admit that newborn shoots this year have stolen my heart. When we moved to this sunny city about 5 months ago, I was eager to acquaint myself with local moms to help our West Coast transition and teach me about this amazing new city. And you won’t find a sweeter Insty feed than local OC Mom Blogger, Jen Pennella. She is now the mama of two deliciously adorable little dudes and shares her local happenings and adventures in mamahood on her account

Choosing a location for your family photos is important. After all, these are the images that you will look back on that hold your family history. In this blogpost, I continue to discuss great outdoor locations for family photos in Orange County, California. If you know the Orange County area, then you know there are an abundance of outdoor locations

Table Rock Beach is a very well known local beach which is tucked away in South Laguna Beach. There’s plenty of sand in a deep cove with homes high above. Not to mention, large rocks of a variety of sizes and shapes which provide an excellent backdrop for any type of photo session.

Quail Hill Trailhead provides a great location to connect as a family. The trailhead is an easy two-mile trail at the foot of Quail Hill. There is minimal elevation gain on the hike and the views are fabulous on clear days. The Quail Hill Loop is also well maintained and is easy to follow. It is also a great place to shoot if you want to bring along your family dog, as Quail Hill allows dogs on leashes. For these reasons, it is a popular location for family photoshoots

The title of this session encompasses the words “motherhood session”. As a photographer, when I hear that phrase I automatically think of mothers in beautiful dresses with long hair flowing in some beautiful field of fresh flowers and greenery or maybe a similar sort of set up at the beach. That’s definitely the photo stereotype that has evolved for the term “motherhood session”. However, for this session the plan was to do something that mom and her son do regularly together

Choosing a location for your family photos is an important decision. As the years progress, these are the images that you will look back on that hold your family history. Over a series of blogposts, I discuss great outdoor locations for family photos in Orange County, California. While there are a number of factors to consider when thinking about your family photo session, one word often comes to my mind: location, location, location!

Irvine Regional Park is nestled among a grove of sprawling trees and the foothills surrounding the park are filled with an abundance of wildlife. The variety of landscape means that you can get a variety of settings for photo shoots. From rocky landscapes to green fields (although less when there’s no rain), Irvine Regional Park is definitely a great spot for a nature filled photo session

When one thinks of Huntington Beach, the iconic Huntington Beach Pier is one of the first things that comes to mind. The pier itself measures 1,850 family feet (560 m) in length making it one of the longest piers on the West Coast of the USA. The pier is located at the intersection of Main Street and the Pacific Coast Highway and is the heart of the area. It is an historic area

Corona del Mar State Beach is a fairly popular family beach in Newport Beach, Orange County. It runs half a mile long framed by rugged cliffs and a rock jetty that forms the east entrance to Newport Harbor. It has its own feel and is set among flower-named residential streets. All beaches in Orange County are gorgeous, but Big Corona looks like it came right off of a movie set, which isn’t entirely fanciful given that it featured in Gilligan’s Island

I’m stoked to share my first photo session in sunny Southern California. One of the things I was most excited about when I knew we were moving here is the light. You can totally overdose on the beautiful golden light out here. Back on the East Coast, there was light to be sure, but I always had to search so hard for it. Light is in abundant supply here in Cali

Deciding what to wear to a maternity photo session can sometimes be stressful. You want to look beautiful, as you know you’ll be looking back on these photos for decades to come, but you may (or may not!) be feeling anything but beautiful. If you’re searching for the perfect outfit to wear for wall-worthy photos for your upcoming maternity photo session, here are my top 3 tips to make sure you nail it

One of the reasons I like to schedule newborn photo sessions a few weeks after birth is that the family has had time to get to know one another. Just look at how effortless and loving this candid image is

As a family photographer, I am often asked what age is best to schedule a newborn photo session. There's no right age for everyone as it depends on a couple of personal factors, particularly what style of photography you want for your newborn photo shoot. All babies and their temperaments are different, and one baby may be easier going than another regardless of age. But generally speaking, the age of your new babe will be insightful as to what sort of photos we can easily capture together

This photo shoot was the last session I scheduled before leaving the busy East Coast of the USA for the sunny shores of Orange County, and I had a blast. What's the saying, something about going out with a bang?! Mama J and I got on very well. We had a few email exchanges prior to our session. What to wear is a big decision and given they are expecting a sweet baby boy, a light blue dress seemed to fit the occasion perfectly. Because these two call Long Island home, they wanted to head into the big smoke for their maternity photo session

It's been about a month since we left the East Coast for the sunny shores of Southern California, more specifically, Orange County. Our second born was about 6 weeks old when we left. Not the ideal time to move, but is there ever an ideal time to move when you have kiddos?

Welcome to my blog! This is the space on my site which is updated the most and will typically have my most recent work. I will share my latest Orange County family photo sessions and occasionally some personal work, including my family, who are at the very heart of my art. The sessions I share capture the best of the beautiful families I get to meet. The fact that these families trust their irreplaceable memories to me in the sometimes raw, sometimes magical, but always fleeting moments that make up our chaotic family lives is not an obligation I take lightly. So feel free to take a browse and let me know what you think